Water shoe



Mar. 3, 1925.

G. STEUERLEIN WATER sHoE Filed JuneV sf 19124 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES GUSTAV STEUERLEIN, OF NUREMBERG, GERMANY.

WATER SHOE.

Applicationrled .Tune 3,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUsTAv StmUERLEIN, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Nuremberg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vater Shoes, of which the following is a. specification. 'i

This invention relates to shoes for walking on the water which are coupled in pairs and parallely guided, one shoe producing with the aid of a trap rudder the resistance against the movement when the other shoe is being moved forward. The invention consists in providing on each shoe a. trap rudder adapted to be displaced in the direction of movement, the trap rudder of the one shoe being positively connected by a rope guided over pulleys and by a. catch acting on said rope with the other shoe in such a manner that at the advancing of the one shoe a pull is exerted upon the rudder of the other shoe whereby this other shoe is drawn along on the traction rope of its rudder for the same length of steps as the first mentioned shoe, so that alternately at each walking movement of one shoe this shoe is advanced for the double length of step, the second shoe being advanced for the single length of step. The rudder of the shoe which is being moved forward participates in the double length of step of the corresponding shoe but is pushed forward for the length of movement of the second shoe, viz, for a single length of step by the catch of this second shoe acting upon a pull rope of the first mentioned shoe which draws the second shoe along when the first shoe is being advanced but only for half the distance over which the rst shoe is being moved, the braking rudder of the second shoe being thus brought near to this second shoe for the length of one step as this shoe advances for the length of one step. The catches for the pull yropes of the rudders are so constructed that they effect the parallel guiding of the two shoes and the distribution of weight on both shoes.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example on the accompanying dra-wing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation ofa water shoe.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a pair of water shoes.

Fi 3 is a diagram illustrating the forwar movement.

1924. Serial No. 717,509.

Fig. 4: is a cross section on line C-C of Fig. 2.

On the outer side of each floating body or water shoe A, B the rod 9 respectively 9 of a trap rudder 10 "respectively 10 is mounted so that it can be displaced in longitudinal direction. The trap rudder 10, 10 adjusts itself to the horizontal position when the shoe is being moved forward, so that the rudder slides upon the water. When the shoe is at rest or when it begins to be moved backward the trap rudder adopts an almost vertical position (as shown in Fig. 1) limited by a stop, and produces therequired resistance for the forwardV movement of the other shoe. The front end of the rudderrod 9, 9 is connected by a clip 13, lwith a pull rope 8, 8 guided over pulleys/LT along the two long sides of the shoe andV connected at the centre of the shoe with a catch 5 respectively 5 fixed on the other shoe. In the form of construction shown two catches are arranged for each shoe. The ends of each pull rope are each attached to one of said catches viz, thepull rope 8 of the rudder of shoe A to the two catches 5 fixed on shoe B and the pull rope 8 of the rudder. of shoe B with the catches 5 iixed on 'shoe A. The catches are bow-shaped so that they reach from one shoe over the other shoe and can freely move the one along the other. The free end of the bow of one shoe engages with the hollow space of the bow -of the other shoe. 4

In the hollow space of Aeach shoe a tube 1 respectively 1 is fixed along the longitudinal middle axis and the end of each bowshaped catch is loosely mounted on the corresponding tube 1, 1 by means of rollers 2 respectively Q andV hasa downwardly directed extension 141 respectively ltcarrying a groo-ved roller 6 respectively 6 which bears from below against the tube 1 respectively 1. (Fig. 1). y i i In this'manner the catches' of one shoe are securely guided in the other shoe so that the shoes are p-arallely guided. On the upper pai-r of bow-shaped catches 5 `a foot-board 4 for the shoe B is fixed in proximity to the middle axis of the two shoes. A footboard 4c for shoe A is arranged on two supports 3 which are fixed at a corresponding point on the shoe A and overlap the arms 5 of shoe B. The weight of the foot of the person who uses the shoes resting upon one soVv foot-board is thus approximately uniformly distributed over both shoes. 11 vand 11 are hand levers to be gripped by the person who uses the water shoes.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

From the initial position shown in Fig. 3 the person advances in the direction from left to right of the drawing so that the right foot has to make the nextstep, for which purpose the left foot presses in rearward direction against shoe B, the strap rudder 10 of this shoe adopting the vertical position and opposing the required resistance against the moving back of this shoe. By the walking movement of the right foot the shoe A is advanced with regard to the left shoe B so :tar that its tip advances over the tip of shoe B for the same distance for which it is behind the same in the position shown in Fig. 3. The bow-shaped catches 5 of shoe A act however in the lett shoe B on the pull rope 8 for the left rudder so that this rudder is pulled back by the rope S guided over the pulleys 7. As the flap 10 of the rudder prevents however the pulling back of the left shoe this left slice itself is pulled forward Jfor the same distance for which the right shoe has been advanced over the left shoe. The right shoe does therefore not only advance for the length ot step but further for the distance tor which theV lett shoe has been pulled forward so that it advances at every step for two step lengths to the position shown in'Fig. 3 rin dot and dash line, the left shoe having advanced at the same time for the length of one step only so that at the end of the step it .lags behind the right shoe for the length of one step. The rudder l0 of the right shoe participates in any case in the movement for the length of two steps of the right shoe. During the movement of the right shoe for the length of two steps the lett shoe exerts, as it is moving only flor one length of step, a braking action on the front and inner side of the pull rope 8 ot the right shoe with which the catches 5" mounted on the left shoe are rigidly connected, so that the outer side of this pull nope is pulled forward, owing to the pulley guiding, for the length of one step whereby the right rudder is moved forward on this shoe. The right rudder adopts therefore the position shown in Fig. 3 in dot and dash lines and executes at one step of the person a forward movement for the length or' three steps, viz, two with the right shoe and one caused by the left shoe beyond thek right shoe. For this one step length the rudder will lagl behind at the advancing of the left shoe owing to the pulling along of the right shoe.

l. A pair oi' coupled and parallely guided water shoes in which at the advancing of one shoe the second shoey opposes the forward movement by the resistance ot a trap rudder, comprising in combination two iioating bodies or shoes, a rod movably guided on the outer longside of each shoe, a trap rudder at the rear end of said rod, guide pulleys. on each shoe, a pull rope guided over'said pulleys and iirzedwith its outer side to said Arod of the rudder, two catches lined in each shoe so that the catch ofthe one shoe overlapsthe other shoe, and'grips with its overlapping end the pull rope of the ,other shoe so'that when one shoe is being advanced with its rudder a traction is exerted upon the rudder of the other shoe which is thus pulled forward tor the Same length or step as the other shoe is being advanced, so that at each step alternately the moving shoe is advanced for two step lengths and the other shoe for one step length, the rudder of the operated shoe being pulled forward by the catch of the other shoe ior one step length.

2. A pair of water shoes of the type de- "i In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAV STEUERLEIN. lVitnesses z ALEXIS v. PHILIPPOFF, ALINE V. MURALT. 

